Just because you’re not aware of clenching or grinding your teeth at night (bruxism), it doesn’t meet it isn’t happening!
If you suffer from any of these symptoms below, it might be worth making an appointment with your dentist (or one of our F.O.S. solution providers!) to get fitted with a splint / night-guard.
- Hypertrophic (enlarged) jaw muscles are often an indicator of grinding. This means that the jaw has a more squared shape than normal. If you think about it, when we grind our teeth, we’re essentially giving our jaw muscle a workout, and therefore it gets bigger.
- Tooth wear – the canines in particular flatten out, and the incisor teeth are often chipped, or else uniformly flat.
- Teeth fractures are another sign, and are especially common in teeth that have fillings, as the force involved in teeth grinding causes tiny breaks in brittle teeth. Tiny lines in teeth (called enamel craze) are also often signs of tooth grinding, and an individual will also often have tooth marks or indentations in their cheeks.
- Tooth grinding can trigger not only tooth sensitivity and jaw pain but migraines, tensions headaches and shoulder pain.
